Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) is the world’s largest provider of services for individuals with renal diseases and other chronic conditions. J. Calnan & Associates (JC&A) of Boston provided pre-construction and construction management services for FMC’s US corporate headquarters expansion in Waltham, Massachusetts.

“We set up the STARC walls and you couldn’t hear the construction. And it kept all the dust out. People didn’t even know it was a construction area.”

John Noone, Vice President of Field Operations, J. Calnan & Associates

The Challenge

This project was a three-phased, fast track office build out. JC&A crews were working in an occupied office area which required crews to use temporary containment walls that not only kept dust and debris away from the occupied area but would eliminate all construction noise. Temporary containment walls of plastic would not provide the sound attenuation needed for this occupied space.

“Oftentimes, our renovation projects are happening right beside people working in cubicles. Sound attenuation is key,” said John Noone, Vice President of Field Operations, J. Calnan & Associates. “We can’t use plastic; it’s like having nothing between our construction crews and the office staff. You can hear everything through plastic.”

This fast track project also required crews to quickly assemble and disassemble containment walls as they moved from one renovation phase to the next.

Our Solution

STARC Solutions foam composite panels reduces noise by up to 50%, perfect for renovation crews working in occupied spaces. And the airtight panels eliminate dust from the high-traffic areas such as the occupied Fresenius office space.

“We set up the STARC walls and you couldn’t hear the construction. And it kept all the dust out,” said Noone. “People didn’t even know it was a construction area.”

Results

A two-man JC&A crew quickly assembled STARC Systems panels in under an hour. When the work was completed, the panels were easy to take down to move onto the next phase. The fast installation eliminated disruptions for the Fresenius staff members and it kept this multi-phased project on course.

“We would divide up the phases and work behind the wall,” said John Noone, “STARC Systems temporary containment walls were perfect for this project and our crews working in this occupied space.”